Lights in the Darkness
by ShadowBladeFX
Summary: A time of peace has fallen upon Ylisse. After defeating King Gangrel of Plegia, the Shepherds are busy protecting the land from Risen. In the peaceful two years, a new threat reveals itself. Therefore... is it really peace? RobinxOlivia. Other pairings may be suggested. Rated T for suspense, detailed romance, mild language, some horrific scenes, and violence. Updated weekly.


**A/N: So I decided to branch into another category. This idea came up out of the blue, but I decided to run with it. A bit more intense than my previous story, Feathers of the Skies. Please take a look at that story, as well as this one. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

**-Shadow**

**I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, items, worlds, etc. Fire Emblem is a copyright of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. I only own some OCs, which are therefore inspired by the game. All others, I DO NOT OWN.**

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Chapter One: Nightmares

"Hyaaaaa!" Cries rang out across the landscape, clangs of metal screeching through the tranquil air. Two knights battled in a training arena, drenched in sweat from head to toe. One had long pink hair, that was pulled back into a ponytail, save for two twisted braids on the sides of her head, and a fringe that swept down into her forehead. She was dressed like a dancer, her clothes revealing and, quite frankly, immodest; she had training armor on, that covered her chest, shoulders, legs, and arms, but it wasn't much. The other had much shorter hair, a bright lime green, and had battle armor complete with an on-arm shield. The two fought hard, heads and hearts pounding in the hot afternoon sun. The girl with long hair swung forward with her sword, trying to catch the lime-haired young man off guard. Thrusting his shield forward, her foe dodged the attack, and turned for a counter strike. Sword slid cleanly through air, sending the girl leaping to the side in an attempted dodge. She tried to turn around again, but was pushed over by the force behind the man's blow.

"Olivia!" The man called, sheathing his sword as he knelt down to help her up. The girl, Olivia, blushed a deep red in response, lifting herself off of the stone floor. With the boy's help, she pulled herself to her feet, and began to dust herself off. "Are you okay?" The green-haired young man asked, still holding her arm as she recovered from the fall.

"I'll be fine... Um... It's okay, Robin." Olivia smiled warmly, flushing in the cheeks and looking deep into his piercing brown eyes. She paused for a moment, entranced by her sparring partner's appearance. To her, he looked handsome anytime. Sweaty or not, she loved him all the same. She slipped her hand down into his, fingers intertwining in an unbreakable grasp. Olivia couldn't help but smile, a bright red setting her cheeks ablaze. Exhaustion or not, she was blushing.

Footsteps broke the silence, and the lovers immediately broke their contact. A girl with longer flowing brown hair halted as she saw the two. Startled by what she had just ran into, she blushed in embarrassment, turning to leave... But as she did so, a hand stopped her. "Sumia! Wait." A voice reached out to her, making her stop to turn around. She met the eyes of the man who stood, meters away, hand on a dulled training blade. "I need to talk to you." Robin added, tapping his hand on the hilt of his sword. With a quick, graceful bow, Olivia picked up her sword, and began to exit the arena.

Sumia regained her composure, and straightened her back after he addressed her. She followed him out into the forest, walking just seconds outside the arena's walls. Robin stopped once he came to a cloak hung up on a large tree trunk. "Do you know..." He began, hand motioning to the robe. "... What this is?" He asked, tapping the sleeve of the fabric as his eyes widened, waiting for an answer.

Sumia shook her head, soft hair falling into place on her pale forehead. Robin sighed lightly, tugging on the cloak. With a squeak of wood, the robe pivoted until it looked straight at her... Dead, rotten face and all. Sumia let out a yelp of surprise, hands flying over her mouth as she tried to glance away from the hanging dead corpse. "N-No, sir. What is that...?" She stammered, closing her eyes as she tightened her jaw, resisting the urge to expel her newly-eaten lunch.

Robin stepped forward towards her, grabbing her jaw with his right hand, forcing her to look at him. Once she obeyed, he responded. "That" he gestured to the rotting figure, "is what happens when you mix death and laziness. Take a good long look." Robin said cooly, pacing through the dead grass around him as Sumia reluctantly looked the smoldering remains of a human body up and down.

She took in everything. Shape of the face. Clothes. Armor. Sheath. Boots. Expression. The face was contorted into a permanent scream, eye sockets now just empty holes of black. When she no longer thought she could hold it in any longer, she looked away and hid her face in her hands. "Why are you showing me this?" She cried, looking up at Robin through distressed tears.

The armored man in front of her turned to look back at her, poking at the cloak of the charred corpse. "This happened because of you. And I think you know why." Robin said, letting a crusty flake of fabric slide off the sleeve of the burnt robe.

"I-I'm sorry?" Sumia asked, blinking to make sure she didn't mishear him.

"What did I tell you to do last night?" Robin asked, folding his arms together as he stared at her.

"I-I don't remember..." She replied, running a hand through her hair as she tried to think. When at last it donned on her, she turned even more pale than before. "You told me to secure the area of Risen, sir." She answered, regaining her straightened posture as she tried to look confident. That wouldn't last long.

Robin stepped forward, inches from her face as he clenched his jaw tight. "We are in war. I cannot allow anyone to slip up. A simple mistake costs lives. Am I clear?" He seethed, hot breath beating onto Sumia's shocked face.

"Y-Yes, sir. I-I'm sorry, sir. It w-won't happen again." She stuttered, not moving as she tried to look at something other than the smoke pouring out of his ears. Robin stepped back and nodded, proceeding to walk back to the arena. Sumia spoke up again, calling to him before he was but a few feet away. "If you don't mind me asking, Robin? But what exactly is this? What did I do wrong?"

Robin stopped cold in his tracks, and turned to face the brunette once again. He pointed angrily at the corpse on the tree. "This man was burned alive. Pierced through the head by a tree branch. He was attacked by the Risen you were supposed to ensure WERE NOT there. Does it look like I'm having fun with this?" He added, face reddening as he started to become infuriated.

"N-No, sir. I'm sorry, sir. It won't ever happen again, sir." Sumia muttered stiffly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It had better not!" Robin turned to leave, then stopped and turned again. "Sumia, I am removing you from military duty until you can prove yourself. You will help maintain base while the rest of us march forward. Is that clear?" He asked, calming down only slightly.

"Y-Yes... Yes, sir. As you wish..." She replied somberly, nose turning red as she began to cry. Robin's footsteps echoed through the forest until... Silence fell. Sumia was alone. She let the tears run free, sniffing heavily as she nearly pulled out her hair in frustration. "What the hell is wrong with me?!" She yelled to herself, letting out a pained cry as tears continued to streak her cheeks.

The sun was beginning to go down, and Sumia decided that it was best if she returned to camp. Sighing before looking around, she tried to look for the way back. After such a long time of crying, she had become disoriented, and didn't know where to go. She then turned towards the tree. Jumping back in horror, she let out a shriek of shock. The corpse was gone.

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**A/N #2: My first attempt at something this creepy. A slight bit inspired by the awesome FanFic, "Promise of a Future". Celsius, I'm a HUGE fan of that story! ;) **

**How did you like this story? I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. Make sure to leave a review and add to your faves if you liked it. Next chapter, the Shepherds run into some seriously creepy trouble!**

**Please check back for updates. Thanks for reading! Have a great day!**

**-Shadow**

**UPDATE 3/27: **I changed a whole lot of things here. First off, I changed Cherche to Olivia; as Olivia appears before the second half, unlike Cherche. Sumia has replaced Cordelia in this story, as I got a pair of reviews that said "Wtf is wrong with Cordelia?" So hence the thought of changing it to Sumia. Makes sense to me. I also changed the avatar's appearance. Instead of red hair, he now has lime green hair. I was thinking about changing his name to Kieran instead of Robin... I dunno. What do you think? Let me know, I'd be happy to accept your ideas on the subject! Your reviews, follows and favorites mean the world to me! Thanks for keeping up with this story!

**A NEW CHAPTER IS ON ITS WAY! PLEASE BEAR WITH ME FOR JUST A FEW MORE DAYS!**

**-Shadow**


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